31 March 2024 // John 20:1-10
SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION: Read John20
SERMON REVIEW:
Looking for the Body
John 20:1-10
Matthew 28:1-6 – The Resurrection!!!
Question at hand:
Why were they looking?
Mary Magdalene: Because of Deliverance – Luke 8:2
Peter: Because of Detachment – Luke 22:54-62
John: Because of Dedication – 19:26-27
What did they find?
Mary saw the tomb. – She “saw” (blepo) “without any connection”
Peter saw the burial clothes. – He “saw” (theoreo) “took notice” “to see with questions”
John saw it for what it was! – He “saw” (eidon) “to perceive with understanding”
John was the first person in the world to believe Jesus was alive again!!
You can be the next!
QUESTIONS:
LIFE APPLICATION:
Get the Message
In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, he shows us how Henry and John Falstaff had entered into a deep friendship until Henry became king, at which time he turned away from his old friends. Jesus did not do that in this chapter but emphasized through three post-resurrection appearances how close he remained to his disciples and friends. Mary had to understand the new relationship with him and with the disciples, but in one short verse (v. 17) Jesus linked the family by referring both to the Father and to his brothers, obviously not his physical half-brothers, but the disciples. The message is brief, precise, and clear, unlike so much human communication.
British military lore contains a story about the Duke of Wellington fighting for the crown on the European mainland. When the battle was won, he ordered a blinker sent from the coast of France across the English channel relaying the message, “Wellington defeated the enemy.” But such a message took time to convey in that archaic mode of communication. A fog closed in after the first two words had been received. With defeat news ringing in their ears, the nation panicked and the stock market crashed until three days later when the fog lifted and the full message got through.
John wanted the full message to get through in this chapter. He also wanted his readers not only to understand and believe it, but to be willing to share it with others.[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Timing of the Resurrection
Some people have difficulty with Jesus’ prediction that he would spend “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (12:40). But this is easily explained. The phrase “a day and a night” was a Jewish idiom referring to a day. Jewish time reckoning considered any part of a day (even an hour) to represent the whole day. Thus, we can see how the time between Jesus’ death and his resurrection could be considered “three days and three nights.”
The time between his death at about 3 p.m. Friday and sunset (about 6 p.m.) was the first day (or, according to Jewish idiom, “a day and a night”). From sunset Friday to sunset Saturday (the Sabbath) was the second day (literally “a day and a night”). Then the time between sunset Saturday and the Resurrection, before dawn Sunday morning, was the third day (or “a day and a night”).[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How is it possible that even at the empty tomb Peter and John “still did not readily understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead”?
2. The resurrection is the heart of the gospel. What does it mean to you? What does it mean for your future?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 375.
[2] Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 488.
[3] Rodney L. Cooper, Mark, vol. 2, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 283.
SERMON REVIEW:
Looking for the Body
John 20:1-10
Matthew 28:1-6 – The Resurrection!!!
Question at hand:
Why were they looking?
Mary Magdalene: Because of Deliverance – Luke 8:2
Peter: Because of Detachment – Luke 22:54-62
John: Because of Dedication – 19:26-27
What did they find?
Mary saw the tomb. – She “saw” (blepo) “without any connection”
Peter saw the burial clothes. – He “saw” (theoreo) “took notice” “to see with questions”
John saw it for what it was! – He “saw” (eidon) “to perceive with understanding”
John was the first person in the world to believe Jesus was alive again!!
You can be the next!
QUESTIONS:
- What did the message teach me about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?
- What did the message teach me about the human condition?
- Is there anything I need to confess, repent, or be grateful for, because of this passage?
- How do I need help in believing and applying this scripture to my life?
- How can I encourage others with this passage?
LIFE APPLICATION:
Get the Message
In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, he shows us how Henry and John Falstaff had entered into a deep friendship until Henry became king, at which time he turned away from his old friends. Jesus did not do that in this chapter but emphasized through three post-resurrection appearances how close he remained to his disciples and friends. Mary had to understand the new relationship with him and with the disciples, but in one short verse (v. 17) Jesus linked the family by referring both to the Father and to his brothers, obviously not his physical half-brothers, but the disciples. The message is brief, precise, and clear, unlike so much human communication.
British military lore contains a story about the Duke of Wellington fighting for the crown on the European mainland. When the battle was won, he ordered a blinker sent from the coast of France across the English channel relaying the message, “Wellington defeated the enemy.” But such a message took time to convey in that archaic mode of communication. A fog closed in after the first two words had been received. With defeat news ringing in their ears, the nation panicked and the stock market crashed until three days later when the fog lifted and the full message got through.
John wanted the full message to get through in this chapter. He also wanted his readers not only to understand and believe it, but to be willing to share it with others.[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Timing of the Resurrection
Some people have difficulty with Jesus’ prediction that he would spend “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (12:40). But this is easily explained. The phrase “a day and a night” was a Jewish idiom referring to a day. Jewish time reckoning considered any part of a day (even an hour) to represent the whole day. Thus, we can see how the time between Jesus’ death and his resurrection could be considered “three days and three nights.”
The time between his death at about 3 p.m. Friday and sunset (about 6 p.m.) was the first day (or, according to Jewish idiom, “a day and a night”). From sunset Friday to sunset Saturday (the Sabbath) was the second day (literally “a day and a night”). Then the time between sunset Saturday and the Resurrection, before dawn Sunday morning, was the third day (or “a day and a night”).[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How is it possible that even at the empty tomb Peter and John “still did not readily understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead”?
2. The resurrection is the heart of the gospel. What does it mean to you? What does it mean for your future?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 375.
[2] Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 488.
[3] Rodney L. Cooper, Mark, vol. 2, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 283.